Airships will forever be tainted by the tragic events of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, however once upon a time they were not only the most luxurious way to travel, but also the fastest. So could they ever make a comeback?

When we think about the future of travel, speed is often a defining factor, with journey time dictating the rise and fall of so many forms on transport. As airship expert and editor of airships.net Dan Grossman explains, this can also be applied to dirigibles and zeppelins – both forms of airships. We look back at our interview with him in 2014…

“What made airships so important in the 1920s and 1930s was speed. Airships were the Concorde of their day; the Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg cut the travel time between Europe and South America from several weeks to several days,” notes Grossman. “Speed is what made the great ocean liners important as well; the incredible speed of ships like Queen Mary and Normandie brought Europe and America closer.”

To get a better understanding of the legacy and possible future of airships in our skies we put a few questions to Grossman. As you’ll see, both the size and impact of the once great machines is quite stunning.

How do the overall travel experiences of airplanes compare to that of airships?

Airplanes provide fast, efficient, and reasonably-priced transportation, while an airship would provide a magical experience, viewing the passing landscape from 600 feet in the air at a leisurely 80 miles per hour.